My notes from tonight’s speech, slightly scrubbed:

He’s lecturing us and telling us about all the good that was done in the immediate response. Locally, of course, what the local people did. Just invoked the proper name of a firefighter. That didn’t take long. What he needs to do is to look back, talk about what happened. Ooh, George Bush just made a commitment to stay and rebuild New Orleans. You can take that to the bank. He’s describing what things are like there now. Sounds fabulous. Gonna go buy a ticket. He’s not doing what he needs to do, address the screwed-up-ness of this whole situation. He’s talking about how well things are going and how good the stuff that is gonna be done is gonna be. I think it would only help if he said something like “message: I feel your pain.” Talk about the pain of the people and how we all suffered through this, not give out phone numbers. No mention of the poor suffering disproportionately. He’s defensive and borderline petulant. It’s a policy speech removed from the context of the flooded streets of New Orleans. There are still bodies out there. Does he get that? Does he even know that? Okay, know he’s talking about the deep poverty in the South, born from racial discrimination. Okay, now he’s cooking. And he’s enjoying it more. If you actually believe this stuff, why has it taken you two weeks to say it? He’s proposed the creation of a Gulf Opportunity Zone. Sounds like a good idea. So did going to Mars. (Not really.) Interesting. Just offered up federal land for free for people to build on, calling it urban homesteading. Could that ever even happen? “I as president am responsible for the problem and for the solution.” Does anyone know why he does that jaw shift thing?